The present disclosure relates to the field of spatial referenced information, three dimensional virtual environments, and voxel databases systems and, more particularly, to supporting multiple different applications having different data needs from a voxel database.
Complexity of three dimensional virtual environments, such as a simulation environment, has grown exponentially in correspondence with the growth of simulation technologies. Simulated environments include computer based simulators, immersion simulators, and device assisted real-world simulations (Tactical Engagement Simulation (TES) systems, for example). Many of these simulators are designed to model real world scenarios, which require geospatial correspondence between a real world space and a simulation space. For instance, to successfully implement military personnel trainers, military intelligence analysis systems, mission rehearsal systems, and unmanned military systems, a simulation space must accurately reflect a geographic region being modeled.
Acquiring, and implementing geospatially correct information for simulated environments becomes increasingly difficult as the complexity of output modes involved in a simulation increase. For example, many flight combat simulation environments not only provide a human with images seen out of a simulated cockpit view screen, but present data on simulated radar screens, thermal imaging screens, and other simulation equipped instrumentation. Output presented on each of these mechanisms change based upon user-controlled decisions. All of these output mechanisms provide divergent data, which must be synchronized with one another, often in real-time.
Current simulation systems have multiple stove-piped storage repositories, each of which are specifically used to support a single simulation product. Current information handling techniques and customized needs of end-products often necessitate this redundancy, which is extremely costly in terms of storage space and man hours. Use of multiple different stove-piped repositories also introduces multiple areas of potential failure and risk in the area of terrain correlation.
FIG. 1A (Prior Art) shows a pictorial representation of the current situation for providing simulators with geospatial data. Specifically, earth measurements are taken and processed through product specific channels to generate a set of source products 192. A sub-set of each of these products 192 is used to produce a model data set 194, which drives a specific type of simulation interface 196. This process can take months and results in discrete simulator modules/products, which are not inherently correlated to each other.